Learning Story – Rabbit Snares
The Week of Feb 6, 2024
What Happened?
We had a knowledge building circle about the habitats of rabbits, wolves and foxes as a result of seeing a wolf chase a fox on the lake last week. We brought 3 rabbits to Bushkids today to skin, clean, prepare and cook in a soup for lunch. Unfortunately they were too frozen (we will eat them next week!). It sparked an inquiry into rabbit snares. We invited one of the Bushkids to teach the others how to make them! They are soft spoken in their leadership and we were so thrilled to see them offering to show other Bushkids how to make it. The Bushkids even measured their snares around the heads of the rabbits to make sure they got it right. They set their snares in a spot where they think the rabbits might go (they didn’t stay up long as we discussed that we can’t snare in the city limits).
Why is it Important?
The Bushkid who taught others how to make a snare welcomed new joiners into the process “Here, I can help you…” without any prompts from the Bushkids staff. They modeled how to set it up in a very humble way. This is a Bushkid with quiet leadership, being looked up to by Bushkids of all ages because of their knowledge and experience snaring and trapping on their own trap line. They made a few mistakes with the snare but it was the process that was so much more important than the product itself. We hope that the Bushkids see themselves as emerging leaders, as the future generation who will take care of the Land and make our communities stronger.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We will continue to draw on the skills and knowledge of the Bushkids by making space for them to share their experiences in a safe space and in an authentic way. As educators, it’s important for us to remember that sometimes it’s okay if the snare or anything else we are practicing isn’t perfect because in spiral learning, we trust we will always come back to it when we need to. If we correct everything, the Bushkids might lose their sense of curiosity and engagement in that moment.